One Woman Snack Attack!

Greetings friends & family :)

Having been vegan in the past as well as having a passion for vegetarian food, I like to offer the small bits of wisdom that I possess when people ask for it (and sometimes don't! LOL)

While shopping at Trader Joes, my favorite place to grab healthy snacks, I came across a very confused & lost looking shopper.  I overheard her talking to her friend about how it has been hard changing their diet, she just didn't have any ideas, etc.  So, while reaching for my dried mangoes, I casually mentioned that I used to be exclusively vegan, and that i'd be happy to give her some ideas while in the store.  Believe it or not, she had never tried a mango!  To me, that is insanity, but to each their own ;)  I promptly ripped open the bag and offered her one (yes, I'm the person you see snacking as they shop...!).  She loved it.  We proceeded to wander down the isles and I gave her some tips on easy, and healthy vegan meals.  Being vegan is great, although it does take a bit more planning and creativity.  She seemed quite a bit more relaxed and encouraged.  And that's what it's all about :)

Summer Hiatus!

What I am looking for is not out there; it is in me- Helen Keller

Greetings!  I have missed writing the blog and so appreciate everyone who has been inspired and lifted by One Woman Blessings.  In order to continue blessing others, I need to take time and bless myself :)  Each summer I take a hiatus from most everything in order to recharge and rejuvinate my body and mind.  What will OWB be doing during this time?  Thinking of new and improved ways to help the community, praying, starting interval training to get my body and mind in better shape, and spending lots of time with my family and newest addition- Juno!  Our beautiful Weimaraner puppy. 

Blessings & Peace to all during the last few weeks of summer :)

Heather

Day 66- Hot Dog!

Another reason that I love our local discount movie theatre, The Picture Show, is that even though they charge next to nothing for movie tickets, they actually give back quite a lot in the community.  So, we happily settled in to watch Rango quite happy with our $1 hotdog and knowing that the entire purchase price went to help kids get to camp.  What's better than that?!

Each year Picture Show partners with Younglife to send disadvantaged kids to a Younglife camp to experience the best week of their lives. During the summer months Picture Show sells hot dogs in it's theaters for $1.00 and donates that $1.00 to the Fill the Bus Fund which helps Young Life areas take more kids to camp. In addition, we accept donations from our patrons to support the Fill the Bus Fund. Over the last three years Picture Show has contributed over $200,000 to send kids to camp. http://www.pictureshowent.com/community-involvement

Day 65- Soles 4 Souls

Today I am one pair of shoes lighter!

Soles4Souls has a simple concept: we procure shoes and get them to those in need.

In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that hit Southeast Asia, Wayne Elsey, the Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls® Inc., felt compelled to do something. Like many of us, he did not know what to do. He was at home one night, watching TV and he saw a picture of a single shoe washing up on the beach. That triggered a few calls to some other executives in the footwear industry and the subsequent donation of a quarter of a million shoes to victims in the devastated countries.

A few months later when Katrina hit, Wayne called the same group of friends, and through our continued support, we have sent over a million pairs of shoes down to the gulf coast communities affected by the hurricane. In all honesty, he admits that he did not expect such an immediate and successful turnout. This left him wondering, why not start a non-profit and do this all the time? One year later, Soles4Souls was formally created.

It has been that simple: changing the world one pair at a time.

Thanks Northstar Church (www.northstarchurch.org) for hosting this wonderful event!

Day 64- Bitter about Litter!

I thought this sign was hilarious- but seriously, litter stinks.  Isaac and I went on a neighborhood scavenger hunt to see how many pieces we could collect just from yards and the sidewalk.  Can you guess how many pieces we got in 30 minutes?  44 pieces!  I was really surprised.  I had guessed 20, and Isaac had guessed 8.  Way more!  I'm proud to say our neighborhood looks a lot nicer since the hunt.  This is also a great way to teach your kids about environmental concerns and get active during the summer.

Where are you going to pick up trash?

Day 63- Lucy-Goosey

While most of the geese from our neighborhood pond migrated last winter, one goose couldn't- we affectionately named her Lucy- Lucy-Goosey.  Something happened to her wing that made it impossible for her to fly or get around very well.  She doesn't appear to have any sort of infection or be in pain, but she is limited to the pond area mostly.  Normally I would call the animal dept. to come help her, but their policy with fowl is to humanely euthanize.  And since she looks to be happy, we didn't call.  We did start regularly feeding and checking up on her though...

Today, I'm happy to report that we saw Lucy and she looked very plump and happy!  More geese were in the pond, but Lucy will always have our hearts.  She enjoyed some whole wheat bread today ;) 

Isaac was able to pet her :)



Day 62- Words of Encouragement

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. "

~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

Today I sent a handmade card with some words of encouragement on it to someone who is at the end of his rope, so to speak.  It is amazing how getting a card in the mail with helpful words can really boost someone's spirit and give them enough renewal to continue on.  We've all had hard times, and it is good to remember those who are having them right now.

Day 61- Drops of Good.

Maxwell House has a really great community project going on right now.  Each day, you can vote for grants that will assist various local and national organizations that are changing communities for the better.  Explore each one to learn more, and then vote! 

www.facebook.com/maxwellhouse

http://www.kraftbrands.com/maxwellhousecoffee/drops-of-good/Pages/default.aspx

Day 60- Brew-lanthropy- Great Coffee for Great People!

I voted!

Day 59- Ink Cartridges

Today I took my empty ink cartridge to the local staples store for recycling.  The best part is that it's super easy, and for every cartridge you recycle, you get a $2 credit! 

Staples encourages our customers to take advantage of our ink and toner recycling services and help protect the environment. In addition to reducing waste going to landfills and saving resources, our retail customers in the United States receive $2 in Staples Rewards^® for any brand of ink or toner cartridge they return to our stores, up to 10 cartridges each month.

Day 58- Locks of Love

God has gifted me with freakishly fast growing hair that doesn't get split ends, and always seems to be shiny and healthy.  I am constantly getting compliments on my hair!  While that is nice and all, I am actually not very attached to my hair.  Because of these two things, it made it very very easy to donate all that hair I had to Locks of Love.  It's been my favorite donation so far :)

Our mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children.

To see what a difference it can make to a child, check out these before and after pics from http://www.locksoflove.org/:

Isn't that fantastic?  I was able to donate quite a lot of hair, since this is my new haircut!

And yes, for those of you who don't know me, this is the hair model :)  Want to shout out to Priscilla (a One Woman Blessings fan!) for doing a fantastic job.  Here's to the start of your fabulous career ;)

Day 57- Stamp out Hunger

Today's kindness was super easy thanks to our local postal worker- We slipped some soup into the mailbox, and that was it!

On Saturday, May 14, Campbell Soup Company will join forces with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) to Stamp Out Hunger across America in order to provide assistance to the rapidly increasing number of Americans who are struggling with hunger.

Now in its 19th year, the Stamp Out Hunger effort is the nation's largest single-day food drive. In 2010, a record-setting total of 77.1 million pounds of food was donated, which brought the grand total of donations to more than one billion pounds of food collected over the history of the drive.

http://www.helpstampouthunger.com/

Day 56- Freecycle

I have been on a cleaning binge lately... while cleaning out our kitchen, I found several extra stainless steel bottles that have seen better days, extra rice that was coming up on it's expiration, and lots of organic tea that was also getting close to it's date.  Instead of throwing them away, or letting them expire, I decided to post to my local freecycle network to see if anyone was interested.  It never fails to surprise me what people want and need!

"Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community."

Please visit www.freecycle.org to find a group near you!

Day 55- Pick it Up

Trash, that is.  While Isaac and I were out shopping, there was a lot of trash that was bugging me.  So, we picked it up, and put it in it's proper place- the trash can.  Then we washed our hands, and got on with our day leaving the shopping center a cleaner place :)

Day 54- Grocery Assistance

While out shopping for groceries, my favorite past time (LOL), there was a lady struggling to reach the top shelf.  Maybe it was the look I gave her, but she let me squeeze in there and grab her ice cream bars for her.  She was pretty excited.  It was nice having something random come up where I was able to help someone, in some small way :)

Day 53- Free Frosty?

Who doesn't love a nice cold frosty after a hot summer day at the park?  Anyone??  Well, it gets even better!  How about a free frosty, and it benefits the community! 

Right now, participating Wendy's have the cutest frosty key chain tag (for $1 donation) that gets you a free frosty (with any purchase) through the end of October!  Since Isaac loves their chicken sandwiches (the only chicken he'll eat, in fact) we go there a lot :)  It seems like each location has different community organizations benefiting from the sale- ours is the Salvation Army.  I think this is a great idea, and I love that Wendy's is so community focused.

Thanks Wendy's, we'll be seeing you soon! ;)

Day 52- Give me your blood!

One of our local church's held a blood drive this past week, and since I know I'm not able to donate, I found someone who was- my husband Chris! 

 

Benefits of Donating It feels great to donate! You get free juice and cookies. It's something you can spare – most people have blood to spare... yet, there is still not enough to go around. You will help ensure blood is on the shelf when needed – most people don't think they'll ever need blood, but many do. You will be someone's hero – in fact, you may help as many as three people with just one donation. (www.redcrossblood.org)

Chris was eligible to use their machine, which equals more donations!  All types of donations are great- to learn more, please visit: Types of Donations American Red Cross

Day 51- Atlanta History Center

Isaac & I were able to take advantage of National Public Garden's Day at the Atlanta History Center.  The History Center is so beautiful, and has a ton of great exhibits.  All I heard from Isaac all day was, 'this is AWESOME!' over and over again ;)

Since it was so awesome and we got in free, we made a small donation while inside.




If you are in the area, highly recommend!

We also got a pretty good workout in walking through all the gardens!

Day 50- Couponing for the Community

My kindness today is really not just for one day, but something that has been on-going for some time.  For those of you who have seen or heard of 'extreme couponing' on TLC, I use a similar system, but let me just say, it is no where at the level these people do it!  I don't believe it is right to clear shelves; it's greedy.  So, with that said, I do use coupons to get a lot of free or nearly free items.  When I get extras that my family can not use, I like to donate to various community organizations.  When the tornadoes hit in close by areas, I was able to donate several bathroom items and food, thanks to planning ahead.  Besides, they need it much more than me. 

If you do coupon, I encourage only keeping what you need, and sharing with others.  There will be more coupons in the future ;)

Day 49- Photo Op.

While visiting our local gardens, I spotted the loveliest couple and their three kids.  Not only were they having a good time, but they were all actually smiling and enjoying each other!  This stood out in stark contrast of all the other parents yelling at their kids (poor management, if you ask me... which you didn't! ha).  Isaac and I were having a great time and when we happened to be behind them waiting to cross a bridge, I asked if they wanted me to take their picture- it was a beautiful photo op!

They were stunned that someone would offer, and kept going on and on about how sweet it was while rummaging for a camera, which they didn't appear to have.  Being that I am now somewhat technically savvy, I pulled out my phone and offered to send their picture to an email address.  I was pretty pleased with myself ;)  And then they found their camera... ha ha. 

It turned out to be a really great photo :)

Day 48- Plan USA

Today we sent our sponsorship money and a letter to Julius.  He is our sponsor child through Plan USA who lives in the Philippians.

Plan USA strives to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries by:

• Enabling children, their families and their communities to meet basic needs and to increase their ability to participate in and benefit from their societies;
• Fostering relationships to increase understanding and unity among peoples of different cultures and countries; and
• Promoting the rights and interests of the world’s children.

Sponsoring a child is just one of many ways to help children worldwide.  Check out some other ways to give:


Ways To Give

Day 47- Box Tops!

We have been saving Box Tops for an entire year now!



Box tops are a super easy way to make a difference, whether or not you have a child! Most schools have competitions each year to see which class can raise the most, so if you aren't using them, I am pretty sure your favorite child will be happy to take them off your hands :)

Day 46- Fire Department Piggy Bank

Today I thought I would help our local Fire Department be able to put a little extra in their personal piggy banks by getting a fabulous deal on a few dinners for them- Man Meals!  lol.  Seriously, these guys stay so busy that they usually just have time to run in and out of the store to get dinner, and usually don't get a great deal (sorry guys!).  Because I take advantage of local sales and coupons, with a little planning, I can incorporate in some meal ideas for the FD if they are interested, which they usually are, as it cuts the cost of dinner in half!  I'm happy to do it, and glad that they are saving what they can as well. 

Thanks Station 26 for all your hard work!

Day 45- United Way

Today I took United Way's Pledge (http://www.liveunited.org/) to join one million volunteer readers, tutors and mentors.  I plan on contacting http://www.childrenspeacecenter.org/ to apply as a Peace Educator.  There are so many opportunities, please take the pledge, and let me know which opportunity you will pursue!

Our Mission

United Way improves lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good.

Our Goals

In 2008, United Way initiated a 10-year program designed to achieve the following goals by 2018:

• Improve education, and cut the number of high school dropouts — 1.2 million students, every year — in half.
• Help people achieve financial stability, and get 1.9 million working families — half the number of lower-income families who are financially unstable — on the road to economic independence.
• Promote healthy lives, and increase by one-third the number of youth and adults who are healthy and avoid risky behaviors.

Our goals are ambitious, but with your help, and by utilizing our core strengths — a national network, committed partners and public engagement capacity — we can achieve them.

Day 44- Give & Take

My mom is coming to visit soon and I have a nice big guestroom for her to stay in.  Unfortunately, there is also nothing in it.  We have been doing some rearranging and pairing down of furniture.  Figuring she might want a soft place to sleep at night, I was able to find a next-to-new covered mattress on freecycle.  Noticing the lady also had a posting asking for baby items, I looked around.  I happened to have two cans of ready to use Similac formula that I was going to donate (somewhere, at some time I swear!) that had been collecting dust for a while.  For all of you wondering why I would buy such a random item to donate (especially since I don't have a baby anymore!) the answer is coupons. 

Formula happened to be on sale for $3.87, and I had a coupon for $5.  Some stores will give you the overage to use on your bill.  Bonus for me, bonus formula for someone in need!

Day 43- Lifestyle Choices

Living somewhat of a minimalistic lifestyle, I'm constantly being surprised by how much 'stuff' begins to pile up...

Through careful planning and the never ending generosity of friends, we are rarely in need of anything we need or even want.  Because of all the love given to us, we love nothing more than to hand it back out as we can.  Some how a couple bags of home decor items gathered themselves up and were taken nowhere else but my husband's favorite stop- The Goodwill! 

Ah Goodwill, I feel that we are destined to meet again soon! ;)

Day 42- Tornado Survivors (Southern US)

The South has been hit very hard, and a lot of people have been scrambling trying to scrape basic necessities together for themselves, their family, and community.  Thanks to help from my new local friend, Shelby, I was able to have several bags filled with bathroom items, clothing, food, and shoes transported to some of the hardest hit areas.  Shelby is a local who is making a big difference- she has rallied her co-workers, and loaded a U-Haul which she plans on taking to various drop locations.  Kudos to Shelby.  Thanks to your help, I got a lot of needed items transported to where they are needed the most!

If you are close enough to the disaster areas, please consider going through your cabinets, closets, and hearts to give what you can.  For me, I am satisfied that come this weekend, someone will be wearing my former clothes, and using my (new!) deodorant ;)  LOL. 

Day 41- Beware the flashers!

The flash mob that is....





Becoming Mom is donating a dime to the March of Dimes for every YouTube viewing of this video... so you can contribute simply by sharing with family and friends.


Money donated to the March of dimes helps fund research to eliminate birth defects and helps moms have full term, healthy pregnancies.


If you wish to contribute more, go to www.becomingmomspa.com/flashmob

Day 40- Click for Kids! FREE way to Donate $10!

What is better than being able to donate $10 with the click of a mouse? How about doing it for free & learning something in the process.





Northwestern Mutual is funding $200,000 for these three great causes: Action for Healthy Kids, Teach for America, and Easter Seals.  Learn more about it by visiting their website: www.northwesternmutual.com or their FB page: http://www.facebook.com/LLSforacure?sk=wall#!/northwesternmutual?sk=app_207072932637803

What an awesome and easy way to donate!

Day 39- Hope for a Cure

Today we donated for a very worthwile cause-

The mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

LLS is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services. http://www.lls.org/

*Continuing to send support as we can, and always praying for all types of cures*

Day 38- One can never have enough reading material ;)

Anyone else out there that gets excited over books?!  LOL.  I do, and I especially like to share them once I've read and absorbed their contents.  Having recently graduated, I had a mound of textbooks begging to be released to their next victims.  On Day 26 (http://onewomanblessings.blogspot.com/2011/04/day-26-knowledge-is-power.html) I posted about Books for Africa, a great non-profit that accepts textbooks and other reading materials.  I would have loved to drop all my books off with them, however, I had several American Government and Civics books (these types of materials aren't accepted due to international laws and policies).  Needless to say, they had been sitting around for too long, and Chris (my wonderful, compulsively cleaning husband) was getting itchy. 

And where does Chris love to donate things?...........





To the Goodwill drop off!  They have a wonderful book selection there... I wonder why?! ;)

Find a Goodwill close to you: http://locator.goodwill.org/

Day 37- Breakfast for Firefighters

Today I sent in breakfast for the firefighters.  With all the furloughs and talk of pay cuts, I thought it might be nice if they had one less thing to have to worry about...  Thanks for all you do!

Day 36- Gooey Goodness

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.
Michelangelo

I saw the potential in the dough, and molded it until it was a tasty masterpiece!  And then proceeded to share it with our favorite neighbor and a new friend.

It feels good to share :) 

Day 35- Everyday is Earthday!

Experts estimate that only 1 in 1,000 Outerbank sea turtle hatchlings will survive to maturity. Partner with Sun Realty to help preserve and protect Outer Banks sea turtles.

Please visit Sun Realty and take advantage of an easy way to donate a dollar and possibly find your next vacation spot!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/OBXvacation

Day 34- Slowing down

While at our local library, Isaac and I noticed two very elderly people checking out books, and honestly, didn't look like they were making it very well.  We hung out for a minute, and held open both of the double doors leading outside.  I saw a little glimmer in their eyes, and even though they didn't say much as they hobbled out, I know they were surprised and appreciated it :)

Day 33- The Golden Crust

Sometimes you just need a crust :)

Today I took my friend out for lunch at The Golden Crust- super tasty.  It seems to be a food week, doesn't it?

I wanted to be sweet and buy her lunch, especially since she does so many nice things for everyone else.  So, a little kindness her way. 

Afterwards we went to the Jamaican store next door, and found some really interesting blue laundry soap for hand washing whites- supposedly getting your whites super white.  Well, sadly enough, I did not have the meager .50 to buy it (I'm a plastic only type person...) and the girl behind the counter spotted me the remaining .15!  LOL.  Kindnesses are being returned at a surprisingly high rate friends.  I did not anticipate so much love and appreciation shown in return for my meager blog, but I'll take it.  I'll take it all and keep sending it right back out :)  And the best part- Isaac will never have dingy socks again! ;)

www.goldenkrustbakery.com

Day 32- Yogo Ono!

My kindness today was very, very hard to do.  After all, being coerced by my son to eat fabulous frozen yogurt almost sent me over the edge!  LOL.  Alright, so not all kindnesses are hard to do, like some people assume.  Lots of them are easy and taste great too!

Yogo Ono held a benefit night for Kennesaw Charter Science & Math Academy (kennesawcharter.com) and based on how packed the place was, I'd say it was a success!  It was really fun to get out and see the kids and meet some new parents as well :)

Isaac's coach even got in on the fun!

Thanks so much Yogo Ono for a great night!

Day 31- Tacos for Teens

I love Taco Bell. For one thing, they are tasty. And secondly, they can make anything you want vegetarian, and I appreciate that ;)  But more than that, Taco Bell also gives back to the community in a variety of ways, including their campaign- Help a Teen Graduate.

By dropping your spare change into canisters at Taco Bell® restaurants, you can help invest in a teen’s future. Canister collections help us provide support to teen programs at Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide Canister proceeds are used to benefit your local community.

http://www.tacobell.com/company/givingback


Easy & fun!  Isaac has won a few times, Chris a lot, and me.... not so much ;)  But really, everyone wins when it's for such a good cause :)

Day 30- Free Rice!

Early this morning I sharpened my vocabulary and donated over 400 grains of rice!

About FreeRice

FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Programme.

FreeRice has two goals:

• Provide education to everyone for free.
• Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

This is made possible by the generosity of the sponsors who advertise on this site.

Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your education can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself.

Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide (www.freerice.com).

Day 29- Missions for Youth

It's festival season in the South!  While attending The Big Shanty Festival in beautiful Kennesaw, GA (can you tell I heart Kennesaw??!) we were able to donate to a good cause for a very good parking spot- front row!  Kennesaw First Baptist Church opens up their parking lot in exchange for any amount of donation that funds various missions their youth group takes part in.  One of my greatest pet peeves in life is having to pay to park... lol.  But, i'm always happy to donate to a good cause, and was glad to do it!

By the way, the parade was awesome :)

Day 28- The Gift of Supplements

After changing some of the supplements i've been taking, I decided to list the  iron supplements I no longer needed on craigslist to see if i'd get any takers.  I always try to use craigslist before I throw otherwise un-donatable items away.  And as always, with in 5 min I got a response from a local mom who was in need!

Day 27- Goodwill

After a little spring cleaning, my minimalistic tendencies have manifested themselves through several bags of usable household goods!  If you have been reading my blog for a while, you may be wondering how is it possible this small family of three has so much stuff to donate?!  All three of us are not big shoppers, and we usually only buy what we need.  But, we have lots of friends and family who supply us with lots of things they want us to have, or think we need ;)  Hence all the donations! 

We loaded up our bags and swung by our local Goodwill on the way home.  Dropping off at Goodwill is always super easy and convenient.  Someone is always there waiting to take items out of your car and lend a hand.  There are several reasons why I like Goodwill, most of them being that they provide solutions for many people.  Check out some info on GoodWill:

Our Mission

Goodwill Industries International enhances the dignity and quality of life of individuals, families and communities by eliminating barriers to opportunity and helping people in need reach their fullest potential through the power of work.

Our Vision

Every person has the opportunity to achieve his/her fullest potential and participate in and contribute to all aspects of life.

Our Results for 2010

• People served through employment and training programs: Nearly 2.4 million
• Workforce development services provided: 20.1 million
• People who earned a job with Goodwill’s help : Over 170,000
• Estimated total earnings of people who earned a job with Goodwill’s help: Over $2.7 billion
• Personal and family support services provided: 7.5 million
• Total revenue generated by Goodwill organizations: $4 billion
• Total revenue spent directly on programs: 84 percent
• Total number of donors (includes repeat donations): 74 million
• Total number of retail stores: Over 2,500 and an online auction site, www.shopgoodwill.com

Day 26- Knowledge is Power

Knowledge is power, compassion is giving. 

I was searching on the Internet for ways to donate or re-use some of my older college textbooks.  Most of them I've sold if possible, but lots of others lingered.  Amazingly, there is a fantastic organization close by in Smyrna...  Books for Africa!

About Books For Africa

The mission of Books For Africa is to end the book famine in Africa. With your help, we will help create a culture of literacy and provide the tools of empowerment to the next generation of parents, teachers, and leaders in Africa.

Books donated by publishers, schools, libraries, individuals, and organizations are sorted and packed by volunteers who carefully choose books that are age and subject appropriate. We send good books, enough books for a whole class to use.

They are shipped in sea containers paid for by contributions from people like you. It costs about 50 cents to send a book from the United States to Africa. Since 1988, Books For Africa has shipped more than 24 million books to 45 African countries. They are on once-empty library shelves, in classrooms in rural schools, and in the hands of children who have never before held a book. Each book will be read over and over again. When the books arrive, they go to those who need them most: children who are hungry to read, hungry to learn, hungry to explore the world in ways that only books make possible. 



When we arrived at the warehouse, we found one person working and one person loading all the books.  This warehouse is massive!  They were very excited to get all my college texts, because those are the ones that can be used to educate future teachers, and social study majors.  I was so happy to donate these, and hope that if you have textbooks, or any other books for that matter, that you will take them to Books for Africa.  They can also be mailed, as well as dropped off at a few other locations.

For more info, please visit, www.booksforafrica.org

:)

Day 25- The Waiting is the Hardest Part....

Today I accompanied a friend to the dr's office.  After all, the waiting is the hardest part, and it's nice to have a friend to laugh with at the hideous decor instead of anxieties that can pop up ;)

I should mention that she was very kind to me in return, and bought me some much appreciated groceries from Trader Joes!

Thank you my anonymous friend ;)

Day 24- Books for Foster Children

Today we had a really special opportunity to donate books to foster children who have court appointments to check up on their progress.  A court appointment can be a very long and stressful day.  By being able to give the kids a book to read while they wait makes their day just a little easier and provides a small distraction from the time.

Isaac chose to donate a book on the Amazon that has lots of great pictures and facts. 

Chris & I donated a book by Touchpoint which has scriptural answer to common worries and problems.

Day 23- Pasta

Today we donated several boxes of Ronzoni Pasta to our local MUST Ministries drop box.

MUST is one of my favorite charities in the area, because they not only meet the immediate needs of families, but they also give them the tools they need to get back on the right track and live a successful life.

Feel free to visit their website for additional needs and volunteer opportunities!

www.mustministries.org